FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Contact: Brenda Manlove Williams, Public Information Officer
Phone: (702) 455-4883
Cell: (702) 343-4471
E-mail: williamb@co.clark.nv.us 

Dust Advisory Issued for Wednesday
High Winds May Raise Dust Tomorrow

Due to expected high winds, Clark County Air Quality officials are advising residents and operators of local construction sites of the possibility of blowing dust on Wednesday, April 11.  

At this time, unhealthy levels of dust are not occurring.  As part of the county's dust-control program, officials are sending notices to construction sites in the  Las Vegas Valley asking them to take precautions to prevent blowing dust. Air Quality officials will continue to monitor the situation and will post an alert on the forecast page of the Department of Air Quality and Environmental Management’s website section if unhealthy levels of dust actually occur. A link to the forecast page is located on the front page of Clark County ’s website at www.accessclarkcounty.com.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Under windy conditions, localized or valley-wide areas of blowing dust are likely to occur. Airborne dust is a form of inhalable air pollution called particulate matter, or PM-10, which aggravates respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma. Children, the elderly and people with respiratory diseases are urged to stay indoors during dust storms. 

Detailed air quality conditions are posted in the monitoring section of Air Quality’s website. You can receive air quality advisories via your pager or e-mail through the county’s free Direct Connect service. Subscription information is available on the Public Communications page of the county’s website. 

Residents are encouraged to call Air Quality’s dust-complaint hotline at 385-DUST (3878) to report excessive amounts of blowing dust. Officials also recommend the following tips to keep dust down:

• Drive slowly on unpaved roads. 

• Don’t take short cuts across vacant lots. 

• Ride off-road vehicles outside the urban areas of the Las Vegas Valley . 

• Fence off barren property or cover it with gravel, rock or desert-friendly landscaping.

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